What do you want to do after high school? What do you want to be when you grow up?

Just about every kid has heard these questions seemingly incessantly since middle school. Back then, however, those questions did not seem to matter so much. They would not become realistic goals for many more years. 

But fast-forward to junior year, and the future is all becoming very real. Those questions are less imaginative than they once were, but that doesn’t make them any easier. Some juniors know exactly what they want to do following their 2023 graduation, while others remain unsure. 

Junior Anna Bundy is verbally committed to Duquesne University to play soccer.

“As soon as I started soccer, I knew it was something I always wanted to do in the future. I can only remember always wanting to play college soccer,” she said.

Several junior athletes at North Allegheny are already committed to colleges or universities, promising a relaxing senior free of worry over college applications. Since athletes like Bundy already know where they are going, they can get a jump start their college education. 

“I am taking some College in High School classes to prepare and taking electives that may help with my future major,” she said.

Of course, the majority of juniors are not committed to a school, but many have a plan in mind. Aidan Bartholomew started playing guitar in 2020 and realized that music is what he wants to pursue after high school. 

This summer, Bartholomew is attending a music program at Berklee School of Music. Like many, he started planning for his future early on.

“I just wanted to not stress about it later and have more time to explore,” he said. 

Zoe Campbell is a junior who, unlike Bundy and Bartholomew, does not have her future perfectly planned out. She, like many in the Class of 2023, has only begun to think about life after high school.

“I hadn’t really been thinking too much about college until recently,” Campbell said. “I usually try to avoid thinking about it because it stresses me out.”

She has also toured a few colleges and found it beneficial. Touring campuses allows students to learn about the culture of a particular school, something that cannot easily be learned via online research.

“None of them really felt right, but being there helped me to realize that I would like to go to a smaller school not too far from home,” Campbell said.

Campbell is a fitting example of how much time juniors actually have to put a plan in place. There is still a lot of time before a firm decision needs to be made.

“I would say I am pretty all over the place. One day, I’m set on one idea, and the next day, I change my mind,” she said.